628 A HISTORY OF SHORT-HORN CATTLE. 



he offered to sell at a nominal price. After 

 first examining the herds of Mark Stewart, S. 

 E. Bolden, Richard Booth, Col. Towneley and 

 Messrs. Dudding without success Mr. Cruick- 

 shank wrote to Wilkinson that he might ship 

 Lancaster Comet. He was forwarded to Sitty- 

 ton in November, 1858. Mr. Cruickshank went 

 to the station to meet the bull, and his first 

 glimpse of "his great head and horns lowering 

 upon him over the side of the truck" caused 

 him to turn away in disappointment. Lancas- 

 ter Comet had a large head, with horns of great 

 length. They were well enough set onto the 

 head and curved toward the front. They were 

 not very thick, nor were they pointed at the 

 tips, being more uniform in thickness from 

 base to point than is ordinarily observed. One 

 sarcastic neighbor, of the type often present 

 upon such occasions, remarked: "If he wanted 

 a Highland bull he might have got one nearer 

 home." Notwithstanding the horns, however, 

 Lancaster Comet was a good bull. He stood 

 near to the ground, had a beautiful coat of 

 hair, a round barrel, straight top and bottom 

 lines, level quarters, nicely -filled thighs, car- 

 ried plenty of flesh and was active on his feet. 

 In size he was about medium. He had been a 

 great favorite with Mr. Wilkinson and was 

 somewhat inbred, both his sire The Queen's 

 Roan (7389) and dam having been got by the 



